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I have recently found out that my great grandfather was a stoker on hms osiris 11 during the first world war, how can i find out more info without a service number?
Thankyou :-)

His record should be available for download on the National Archives website - cost £3.36 (am assuming he was Royal Navy)

Try the National Archives

Link

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/records/looking-for-person/royalnavyrating1853-1923.htm

George

Hello Samantha and welcome to the boards.

If you need anymore help, just let us know your grandfather's name, dob etc and I'm sure someone will be able to help you.

Cx

Thanks all, I do not know his DoB or place of birth, I have the hms osiris info from his sons(my grandfathers) birth certificate, its says he was a stoker and was a miner. I have found someone with same name who was a stoker and previous occupation was a miner but was on HMS victory 11 but cant be sure its him. His name was charles mckenna and he married in Blandford Dorset in 1916, my grandfather was born in 1918 and Charles occupation at that time states Hms Osiris.

HMS Victory was the Shore Base in Portsmouth and during the war would have been full of sailors waiting to be sent to ships - in this case, HMS Osiris.

Marriages Dec 1916 (>99%)
------------------------------------------------------------------
McKenna Charles Naylor Blandford 5a 519
Naylor Hilda V A M McKenna Blandford 5a 519

(do you have the Marriage Cert.?)

Chris :)

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/records/royal-naval-seamen.htm

(link above, as mentioned earlier has a few possibles!)

Hello, Yes i have his marriage certificate, he was a stoker in royal navy in 1916 aged 22 when he married Hilda and his fathers name is John Thomas Mckenna but im still stumped!.I have researched national archives but cannot find any trace of him, not on any census and cannot find his birth. Where do i go from here???
:-S

Could he have been Irish? What is his father's occupation on the marriage cert?

I have searched scotlands archives but have no idea of the country he was born but he could be irish! His father was a coal miner and that is also his other occupation on his sons birth certificate. The men that i have found on navy archives that could match him are too young.

This John is a coal miner:

1911 England Census
about John McKenna
Name: John McKenna
Age in 1911: 41
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1870
Relation to Head: Head
Gender: Male
Birth Place: Felling, Durham, England
Civil parish: Heworth
County/Island: Durham
Country: England
Street Address: 16 White Street Felling Co Durham
Marital Status: Married
Occupation: Coal Miner Shefter
Registration district: Gateshead
Registration District Number: 557
Sub-registration district: Heworth
ED, institution, or vessel: 14
Piece: 30405
Household Members: Name Age
John McKenna 41
Elizabeth McKenna 39
Ann Alice McKenna 19
John Thomas McKenna 17
Charles McKenna 14 - b Felling
Elizabeth McKenna 12
Winifred McKenna 9
Patrick McKenna 5
Anges Mary McKenna 1

It sounds good but his son Charles stated that when he married in 1916 he was 22, this would mean that charles would have been 17 in 1911 census and not 14

Who were the witnesses at the marriage please?

When and where did Charles die?

Witnesses were her mother mary j watts and william a florance jones. I have no idea as to a death date or place. I have a feeling that they were scottish or irish but what has frustrated me most is the inability to find charles in the navy records!

Where did you get the info on the man who was on the Victory?

From NA:

Name McKenna, Charles Official Number: K33659 Place of Birth: Gateshead, Durham 01-07-1897

Admiralty: Royal Navy Registers of Seamen's Services. Stokers. Name McKenna, Charles Official Number: K33659 Place of Birth: Gateshead, Durham 01-07-1897.
Collection: Records of the Admiralty, Naval Forces, Royal Marines, Coastguard, and related bodies
Date range: 01 January 1916 - 31 December 1916
Reference:ADM 188/934/159
Subjects:Armed Forces (General), Navy

probably his birth - which ties up with the census I posted above:

Births Sep 1897 (>99%)
McKenna Charles Gateshead 10a 906

I know the age is a bit out but people did lie about their ages!

If you download the above from the NA, it will show you which ships he served on and when, so will either confirm or not if it is the right man.

I don't think these records give much family info apart from DOB and POB

I am sure that you will have the following but may help for the search for Charles.

The children of Charles & Hilda

Births Jun 1918 McKenna Charles B J Naylor Blandford 5a 325

Name: Charles B J McKenna
Spouse Surname: Minns
Date of Registration: Jul-Aug-Sep 1939
Registration district: Blandford
Inferred County: Dorset
Volume Number: 5a
Page Number: 1112


Births Mar 1920 McKenna Gwendoline R F Naylor Blandford 5a 463

Name: Gwendoline R F McKenna
Birth Date: abt 1920
Date of Registration: Jan-Feb-Mar 1920
Age at Death: 0
Registration district: Blandford
Inferred County: Dorset
Volume: 5a
Page: 258


Births Dec 1928 McKenna Claude P Naylor Blandford 5a 301

Name: Claude P McKenna
Spouse Surname: Cascarino
Date of Registration: Jul-Aug-Sep 1952
Registration district: Bournemouth
Inferred County: Dorset
Volume Number: 6b
Page Number: 446


Name: Claude Patrick McKenna
Birth Date: 21 Sep 1928
Date of Registration: May 1998
Age at Death: 69
Registration district: Poole
Inferred County: Dorset
Register Number: C23E
District and Subdistrict: 4311C
Entry number: 242


Name: Hilda Victoria A M McKenna
Birth Date: 20 Apr 1891
Date of Registration: Jul-Aug-Sep 1974
Age at Death: 83
Registration district: Poole
Inferred County: Dorset
Volume: 23
Page: 0589


Possible death for Charles - note that the birth year ties in with the census that Potty has posted. (perhaps he lied about his age when he married if he was 6 years younger than his wife?)

Name: Charles McKenna
Birth Date: abt 1897
Date of Registration: Oct-Nov-Dec 1962
Age at Death: 65
Registration district: Poole
Inferred County: Dorset
Volume: 7c
Page: 714

I did download this, it is very hard to read but shows he was on the victory and valhalla but on his sons birth certificate it says hms osiris, still not sure its him!!!

Did he stay in the Navy? If he left after 1923 his record will not be on the NA.

This Stoker Charles McKenna was born in Glasgow, Lanarkshire 11/03/1898

Admiralty: Royal Navy Registers of Seamen's Services. Stokers. Name McKenna, Charles Official Number: K40670 Place of Birth: Glasgow, Lanarkshire 11-03-1898.

Collection: Records of the Admiralty, Naval Forces, Royal Marines, Coastguard, and related bodies Date range: 01 January 1917 - 31 December 1917 Reference:ADM 188/948/170 Subjects:Armed Forces (General), Navy

Could be this one:

1901 Scotland Census
about John Mckenna
Name: John Mckenna
Age: 32
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1869
Relationship: Head
Spouse's name : Annie Mckenna
Gender: Male
Where born: Cambuslang, Lanarkshire
Registration number: 622/1
Registration district: Maryhill
Civil parish: Maryhill
County: Lanarkshire
Address: 215 Main St
Occupation: Coal Miner
ED: 47
Household schedule number: 31
Line: 19
Roll: CSSCT1901_242
Household Members: Name Age
John Mckenna 32
Annie Mckenna 28
James Mckenna 7
Owen Mckenna 5
Charles Mckenna 3
Ellen M Mckenna 10 Mos